AKB48: Their best singles of 2009

2009 was definitely AKB48’s coming out party, releasing a single practically every quarter of the year; one after another charting higher and higher with their latest RIVER reaching #1. AKB48 as a whole is on the rise (which includes their sub-groups) and will likely continue that trend into 2010.

2009 had 4 singles released by AKB48: 10nen Zakura, Namida Surprise, Iiwake Maybe, and RIVER — all of which reached at least top 5 in their respective release days. Ranked accordingly, I’m looking at this through the entire single, including B-side (or coupled-with) tracks included.

#4
１０年桜 (10nen Zaukra)

The single by itself is truly amazing, however its B-side, 桜色の空の下で (Sakurairo no Sora no Shitade) was somewhat lacking; a huge contrast in tempo from 10nenzakura; though I did like the Sakura tie-in to both songs.

#3
言い訳Maybe (Iiwake Maybe)

A solid single paired with an equally solid c/w track, 飛べないアゲハチョウ (Tobenai agehachou).

#2
RIVER

There has to be a runner-up and it was their latest single, RIVER. All 3 songs are top-notch, although listeners at first may be on the fence of the intro to RIVER; a mix of an army-esque drumline (if there’s such a thing). Same can be said for the fast acoustic guitar on the second track 君のことが好きだから (Kimi no koto ga suki dakara), but that’s left to others’ opinion. The last track, ひこうき雲 (Hikouki Gumo) is nothing short of magical. Once the chorus hits, I compare it to swaying your arms in the air as you’re moving to the beat (to be fair, the girls are swinging red towels in the air in the PV).

Which leaves…

#1
涙サプライズ! (Namida Surprise)

Any fitting for the single that was released on my birthday (24/06)? The song itself is about a surprise birthday party for a friend. You can’t help but feel happy listening to it, even the little slip-in of the classic ‘Happy Birthday to you’ can’t be ignored. 2nd track, 初日 (Shonichi) continues the pace, very anthem-like with “Oi, Oi, Oi…” and clapping in unison towards the end. the last track, FIRST LOVE, a solo track sung by Team K favourite, Ono Erena mellows it all out, with surprising vocals to boot. Mentioned in a tweet months ago and soon after the single itself was released, I’d easily choose this version of FIRST LOVE over famed JPop artist Utada Hikaru’s single of the same name (although a lot of naysayers would say otherwise).

Just ranking only the singles themselves (excluding b-sides) the list is slightly different:
#4 言い訳Maybe (Iiwake Maybe)
#3 RIVER
#2 １０年桜 (10nen Zaukra)
#1 涙サプライズ! (Namida Surprise)

of course, all 4 are incredible in their own regard, and unfortunately I had to choose which was better between the 4.

Hope more success for AKB48 in 2010 and beyond. They are for real.

YGC’s Best JPop of 2009

As with tradition around these parts, it’s about time to present the best (in my opinion) that JPop had to offer in ‘09. Now there’s a different take for this year’s list, as things change, life happens, that sort of thing. I didn’t give enough listening time to new music and not nearly enough to supplement a top 10. So for this year I will go in depth of the best 3 I thought I couldn’t stop listening to. For reference, see my best of ‘08 here.

#3:

想いあふれて (Omoi Afurete) – 松浦亜弥 (Matsuura Aya)

It’s a shame she had left Hello!Project (along with her fellow “elders”) this year, but her last studio album under the H!P umbrella is any indication, she left with a bang. The move from the cheery, genki Aya in the first 3 albums to a more refined, mature Aya in the final 3 really do show her growth as a singer. Omoi Afurete really did bring out the very best of Aya. The majority of the album does dip into what Aya is now about (eg. Kizuna, Kekkon Shinai Futari, Omoi Afurete), and a a handful of what she used to be (eg. boomboomboom, Rescue Rescue). Not since her 2nd album, T.W.O. has she had a solid start-to-finish album

Favourite tracks: 結婚しない二人 (Kekkon Shinai Futari), 想いあふれて (Omoi Afurete)

#2:

ANSWER – アンジェラ・アキ (Angela Aki)

Upon the review I gave back in late February, I had Angela’s newest album ANSWER a top album of ‘09, hands down (see below who topped her, again). It’s clearly still one of the best this year but just couldn’t hold down a late-comer. Nevertheless, I still think the 2 songs from this album, Dahlia & Requiem, enough warrant to be upon the best. That’s not to say the others don’t hold a candle to those, the 2 highlighted are true standout songs which should take notice. Her song, Black Glasses, for me proved to be a standout track in its own for it’s meaning and how it’s revolved around my life. It’s lyrics have been the inspiration to 2 photos for my 365 Day project.  I do hope she can breakthrough in the US/CDN market.

Favourite tracks: 手紙 ～拝啓 十五の君へ～ (Tegami ~Haikei Juu Go no Kimi e~), ダリア (Dahlia), レクイエム (Requiem), Black Glasses

#1:

ゴーストライター (Ghost Writer) – 柴田淳 (Shibata Jun)

Call it coincidence. Call it favouritism. Call it whatever you like, but Shibata Jun’s talent can’t be unnoticed. A late entry in November, Jun’s 7th album, Ghost Writer, surpassed expectations; starting with the lead-off single, Love letter. A 7+ minute ballad with all sorts of emotion, but not overdone. The album as a whole dips into a darker side of Jun (eg. the haunting intro to the song Uchiu no Housoku), and not since her album, Hitori, which also showed that raw emotion. And her voice is next to hypnotic. It’s truly a treat to always seeing new music from her, I can’t really pick a song from her albums which I didn’t like. She will likely feature in my reflection of a decade of listening.

Favourite tracks: 救世主 (Kyuuseishu), Love Letter, 蝶 (Chou), 幸福な人生 (Koufuku na Jinsei)

That wraps up my listed best of ‘09. I have honourable mentions for albums I enjoyed but couldn’t squeeze in the top 3. Hopefully look for that soon.

100+ photos and counting so far. A retrospect.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned starting a 365 Project here (well, only a blurb in the about page), but with more than 100 days into it, no better time to let you know.

Since August 1st I’ve been taking at least one photo a day and since August 27th it’s been nothing but self-portraits (some shots in that span are just parts of me, notwithstanding). As I mentioned in my About page, this was to gain a further insight for me as a photographer and what best interests me when it comes to shooting. That’s not to say I would be exclusive to portraiture, but it sorta gives a feel when doing something like, say, fashion or model photography. I hope all this self-portraiture doesn’t come off as narcissistic, because obviously that’s not the intention.

Balancing this with full-time work makes coming up with an idea and shooting it on a daily basis all the more challenging. I know a few of the photos in the 365 collection were throwaways, where I’d put something up than nothing. It very well depends on the day ahead most of the time (as most of my work days begin in the late afternoon). I’ve kept a good balance of this, as I’m content with the rest of the day so long as I have that shot done. Though it does sound half-hearted, this is a good balance that’s worked so far. One thing about that is if that’ll be the case, I should put more time in each shot, because I know there’s certainly room for improvement. So I’ll continue to trudge along and when it’s all said and done come July 31st 2010, I’ll look back at this as a whole and see where I’ve come from the beginning.

You can see my 365 Project in progress here:
365 of Yume Photo

Now, with the acquisition of the 70-200 VR lens, the main focus now is to finally upgrade the body (by which I mean the camera itself). One thing that I made sure when I first obtained the D300 back in January was to not invest in DX glass (for use on 1.5x cropped bodies eg. D90, D300s, D5000 etc.) because I knew I would upgrade to FX (or full-frame) in no time. Fast-forward to today, and the 5 lenses which see equal time are either optimized for film SLRs or pro-grade FX Nikon DSLRs. I’ve juggled the option of the 3 “affordable” FX bodies Nikon currently is selling, the D700, the D3 and the new & refreshed D3S (The D3x is way out my league, price range). The purchase won’t be made until late January anyway, so I’m still weighing all my options. I know patience will easily pay off in the end.

Photography Central Update for November 5

I’ve been slacking off when it comes to updating. When I’ve said time and time again, I’d be updating my blogs on a regular basis; it’s really a tall order. I hope that in buying a $2000 lens is not an excuse for an update.

After acquiring a low-end Nikkor glass in the form of 70-210mm f/4-5.6, I knew I wouldn’t be using this lens for very long. I had got that lens (in exchange for my 28mm prime and 24-50/3.3-4.5 mid-zoom and cash) in early August, days after Nikon had announced the revamped pro 70-200/2.8 VR. It was a stop-gap while I saved up for said new lens.

Thing was, the new glass is going to cost nearing $3000CAD. and from mid-August even up to days before my eventual purchase, I constantly flip-flopped on which 2.8 version to get. Ultimately, I came to a conclusion, in opting for the significantly inexpensive VRI version, any possible funds which would’ve originally gone towards the VRII version, now goes to upgrading to a shiny new FX body sometime in the Q1 of 2010.

A full-time telephoto is still getting used to. For almost the entire year, I’ve been using focal lengths from the 20 to the 85mm range, so framing shots at 100-200mm is still a bit new. The first thing that’s clearly obvious is its size. 8cm longer than the 24-70/2.8 (recessed to 50mm focal length) and 1.25lbs heavier this is a beast! I had to change the way I wear my camera from neck to “messenger-bag style”. and that’s getting used to as well.

I have yet to put it through the ringer, but rest assured it’ll likely outlast me! I hope to check back later on in the coming weeks for a bit more detailed impression.

Abbreviations can make one (company) look absolutely ridiculous, not that TransLink wasn’t ridiculous already.

I’ve constantly voiced my displeasure about this particular issue on my Twitter account (@kurichan_), on how such a company can make such shortcuts to something so simple. Upon hearing about the station name change in late August (merging Millennium Line’s Commercial Drive and Expo Line’s Broadway Stations to the hub now known as Commercial-Broadway), it’s sad to say that the first thing that came to my mind that it was expected the destination signage of routes #9 and the #99 B-line would be shortened much like it’s name before it (previously read on buses [for B-Line express buses] as “BWAY STN”).

Sure enough, I was right, and I was furious upon seeing it for the first time (after receiving a tweet from my brother about it). This is 2009. Storefront LEDs have more capabilities (namely scrolling, among others) than the junk affixed to buses right now. Not only that, most of the new buses (trolleys, natural gas buses and articulate buses (both diesel and hybrid) TransLink has received have ranged from a few months to at most from 3 years ago (dating back to the pilot #2101 trolley).

So recently the Commercial-Broadway hub needed a makeover, replacing signs, renovating the Expo Line side. And to correspond to signage on buses, the SkyTrain stations will now need to change their signage again. (see photo above)

This isn’t the first time a faux pas like this has happened. Buses bound for West Coast Express station and exchange, Coquitlam Station have the dubious distinction of the unthinkable “COQ STN”.

Photo: BusShots (via flickr)

However compared to other station names with a similar number of letters (8 or 9) thankfully haven’t gotten the “txt-like” signage (eg, Brentwood, Metrotown, Lougheed, to name a couple). So why do the 2 stations in question have incoherent babble displayed when it can easily be displayed in full. Many have joked that TransLink had hired a savvy 15-yr old to type up the signage. Plus I wouldn’t be surprised if it had something to do with costs.

I must’ve lost my fanboyism to transit in Vancouver upon returning home from Japan in May, because now I see that flaws in this system (and there are many) stick out like a sore thumb.

The significance of such a minor issue like the misspelling of a station name is great because this shows if one cannot properly correct a simple thing like this, I’d hate to see how they deal with the bigger problems. Oh wait.

Figurine Update for October 3rd

I can’t believe it’s been more than a month since I last bought a figurine, but it seems I overlooked adding Kagami figma, which I bought in late August) to the blog. Here is her gallery:

Planned obsolescence, on a massive scale (part 2)

Continued from post below:

The in-train announcements come off way too short, and timing is just off. First off, for accessibility purposes, the announcements do miss a key component. For those who are visually impaired, tourists or practically anyone not familiar to the area, the lack of, “the doors on the right/left side will open” are missed; not only that, commuters standing near said doors will know which door does open at a certain station and therefore may be less annoyed to see a herd of people wanting to get off. The announcement of “This train is for Richmond-Brighouse/YVR-Airport/Waterfront” should be played back when the train is stopped at the stations, not seconds after the train departs from said stations. However, in the case of the latter, some additional information should be added to that announcement from the more major stations (Waterfront, Vancouver City Centre, Broadway City Hall, Marine Drive, Bridgeport for example), such as other stations of note that the train is bound for. So something like this (from Waterfront):
“This is the Canada Line train, bound for Broadway-City Hall, Oakridge-41st, Marine Drive, Richmond-Brighouse. The next station is [Vancouver City Centre]“
and when nearing the station itself:
“We will be arriving at [Vancouver City Centre] shortly, the doors on the left side will open.”

I joked if TransLink had paid the voice of SkyTrain Laureen Regan by the word as the reasoning behind why the announcements were so bare-bones.

Other known announcements would include notifications where the priority seats are for the elderly, handicapped, expecting mothers, and passengers accompanying small children. It may seem like a mouthful, but to attain competence as a company, you need to cover your bases. And yes, this does extend to the Expo and Millennium lines too.

Now to an issue pertaining to the rush hour crunch (again). Regardless of station, the time unloading/reloading of passengers is at a blazing 8-10 seconds. Not good. As you’d be expecting crowds, big or small, waiting at stations, it’ll take the allotted time just for the unload, then a few more seconds for the reload. As an automated system, this is a big problem, because what happens, passengers will just hold the door open anyway to allow most, if not all passengers to get on board–delaying the train anyway. And since it being an automated system, there wouldn’t be a chance for full-time attendants to let the conductor know that all passengers are safely on board. Of course that goes back to train selection, automated or otherwise.

Jumping back up to the station concourses, there should be the next train LED board up on the concourse, adjacent to fare machines and eventual faregates. A small addition but needed.

Back down to the platform once more is positioning labels on the platform noting passengers where to stand whenever the train arrives. Since they only use one kind of train, it’s easier to implement. Or if you want to one up that, install automatic platform gates. This enables passengers where to board and possible jumpers. This covers a whole area of future problems.

This pretty much covers what I thought would’ve been a short post but expanded to a two-parter. If I have more beefs (which I’m sure I will), an additional inset post will be added in the near future.

Planned obsolescence, on a massive scale (part 1)

While as not to get too in deep here, as Metro Vancouver’s newest rapid transit line, the Canada Line is now over a month into revenue service, certain things are being put through the microscope. What is missing, what can be improved, and what may or will happen in the not too distant future will be put into question. This is clearly through my perspective, and some may not agree though.

Now at first glance when you first step into one of the 16 stations along the Canada Line, euphoria sets in. You can’t help but gaze in awe of what $2 billion does. The trains are, for the most part, clean, and quiet. While you down your Jugo Juice heading to the city centre you think to yourself, “My God, why didn’t we get this sooner?!”. Step back to reality.

There is an immediate problem here, and we shall start in the process of entering a station.
All but 5 stations (Waterfront, Vancouver City Centre*, Bridgeport, Sea Island Way and YVR-Airport) have only 1 entrance. And since most are situated adjacent to a street corner, it would make sense to have added a second entrance on the opposite corner– convenient for bus stops close to the stations. It doesn’t have to be extravagant as the main entrance, even just a small ubiquitous glass-housed sheltered stairwell heading underground (if applicable). Since the line itself wasn’t built in the ground lower than it is (only about 25m burrowed if I’m not mistaken), It wouldn’t work and thus unlikely for a re-fit later on.
*During business hours, entrances from Vancouver Centre and Pacific Centre are open.

Faregates. There was an issue on why it wasn’t installed on launch day (either time constraints or money, likely the latter). TransLink plans to have them installed on Canada Line stations in 2010, and existing Expo and Millennium Line stations in the near future. All this talk about fare evasion, this would’ve been a chance to do something about it. In regards to this, for the entire revenue day (around 4.30am – 1.30am) there should be at least 1 attendant either near the future faregates, or somewhere in the vicinity. Most often a Transit attendant present is sparse. Of course, the implementation of faregates, would mean a new fare system (as apposed to the 90-minute tickets), but that’s for another topic.

No growth for retail opportunities in the station itself. Sure, you have Jugo Juice in pretty much every station, but this would have been prime opportunity to have a multitude of businesses operating, occupying an otherwise empty, cold and, let’s face it, bland interior the Canada Line provides. This is especially true to high occupancy stations such as Broadway City Hall and Vancouver City Centre Station (save for adjacent shopping centres).

*This is more of an irk I see when approaching the platform, as for station signage, it doesn’t mention the previous or next station anywhere (and I don’t mean those red signs on the far ends). So let’s take a page from Japan’s JR system; picture it: you’re on Shibuya Station on the Yamanote Line. Assuming you’re going clockwise, the next station would be Harajuku, while the station inbound was Ebisu (noted in a faded text). As a tourist, for example, it would serve a benefit for what it’s worth.

Now to the platform itself. At a mere 40 metres in length, the platform itself spans just about the entire length of the 2-car Hyundai Rotem train. Now, TransLink can expand it to 50 metres in the future but really, it won’t make a significant difference from the original 40m. This comes from the original planning, and the choice of trains (over, say Bombardier, maker of the Expo and Millennium Line trains). As the platforms for the Expo and Millennium Lines being expanded to cover either a 6 car MK II or 8 car MK I, this is the end o’ the line in terms of the platforms for the Canada Line. Minimal expansion + Population Growth – Discontinued Bus Routes + Olympics = Busy. The tunnels themselves have a lifespan of 100 years. In a fraction of that, population in Metro Vancouver will most certainly rise significantly

Speaking of the discontinued (or rerouted) bus routes, *cough*98, 311, 351, 352, 354, 424, 488, 490, 491, 492, 496, 601, 602, 603, 604*cough*, It creates a massive bottleneck at Bridgeport Station. With only the #480 UBC/Richmond – Brighouse Sta the only bus route connecting Richmond & Vancouver. Suppose a major incident or track malfunction occurs at practically any of the stations, this creates a complete shutdown. And guaranteed, the happenings will be a common sight.

The trains themselves are Hyundai-Rotem, as opposed to using Bombardier. And much like the station interiors, the train’s interiors are just as bland, cold, plain, and sterile (well, not anymore). While the train is noticeably wider than the MK I and MK II SkyTrain, the seating arrangements and bar placements are off the mark. Bench seating across the entire train, and bars overhead with swinging drop handles allow for more standees, Instead the majority are front facing seats. While there are LED destination signs inside the train, there are no sign of LCDs for digital ads, station maps, station info, etc. What replaces it is a slide in sheet of a rudimentary map of Metro Vancouver.

Part 2 coming soon.

Otaku stop #2: Beans Toys

The ongoing search for otakudom continues, entering Aberdeen Centre in Richmond, BC to a small shop called Beans Toys. While the selection isn’t as grand as JHobby, it does have one selling factor: Blythes! Yes, Beans sells, albeit a small range of Blythes, from the 1/6 scale dolls, to the familiar petite variety. I snagged my first one, the Night Flower version. It has a nice red coat, underneath is a lovely black dress with a cute bow around the waist and white lace trim on the top and bottom of the dress.

Also there is a 1/4 scale Suzumiya Haruhi figure in full bunny girl costume which I’ve been pining for since spotting it while I was in Japan. it’s about the same price as a 1/6 scale Blythe. decisions, decisions…

But speaking of Blythes, the gallery for my aforementioned Night Flower Blythe is now available on Flickr:

If you are in the Metro Vancouver area, and wish to check the store out, find them on the 3rd floor of Aberdeen Centre in Richmond (Canada Line — Aberdeen Station) and do check their website for any additional info:
Beans Toys

Otaku stop #1: JHobby

From time to time, I’ll blog about happening places to further otaku your life

Stop #1 in a Vancouverite’s quest of Otaku-ness is JHobby. Off the path past Canada Line’s Aberdeen Station is a smaller shopping complex in Richmond called Union Square you’ll find JHobby. They have an array of figures straight from Japan, ranging from manga/anime series like “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya”, “Gundam Wing”, “Lupin” series among many others.

The majority of my figure shopping is done here. There is also a section of monthly specials where prices are slashed up to 50%. Bring a bib, you’ll need it.

Their website for any additional information:
http://jhobby.com/

Incidentally, the figma of Takara Miyuki was bought from JHobby and here’s the gallery:

Miyuki Takara 高良みゆき (Uploaded 25 Aug)

Next up will be a couple shops inside Aberdeen Centre. じゃまた